


Strawberries and Cupcakes

by mikkimouse



Series: Tumblr Fics [30]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cupcakes, F/M, Fluff, Minor Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, The Hale Pack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 03:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7250560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikkimouse/pseuds/mikkimouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek shot a sideways look at him and then went back to the bestiary. "Erica likes strawberries," he said again.</p>
<p>The back of Boyd's neck felt hot. "I know she likes strawberries."</p>
<p>"Just saying," Derek said. "If someone wanted to do something nice for her." </p>
<p>(In which Derek is kind of a matchmaker, Erica flirts, Boyd bakes, and Isaac and Cora really hate training.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strawberries and Cupcakes

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write some Berica fluff inspired by June’s full moon, the Strawberry Moon, so here you go. Beta’d by the lovely [domesticated-chaos](http://domesticated-chaos.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Posted to Tumblr [here.](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/post/146187630200/strawberries-and-cupcakes)

Boyd landed on the ground with a grunt. One of these days he'd get used to being flung around like a rag doll, get used to the way pain blossomed, burned, and faded by the time he stood back up. 

Today was not that day. 

"Not bad," Derek said. 

Boyd pushed himself into a sitting position and glared. "Yeah. I lasted a whole five seconds that time." 

Derek held out a hand and hauled him off the ground. "You're getting better. Faster. You're starting to rely on your other senses more."

Boyd wiped his hands on his jeans. "I don't see how you can tell that when you beat my ass in five seconds flat." 

Derek grinned. "I can tell. You're getting better."

It was weird to see Derek grinning, letting his guard down around them. He didn't do it often, but ever since Boyd and Erica had gotten out of the bank vault, he'd been doing it more and more. He'd been more patient with them, more open with information, less blunt. 

Boyd still wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. 

Derek crouched into a defensive stance and motioned to him. "All right, let's go again." 

Boyd charged. 

***

Their sparring didn't go much differently after that, although Derek assured him things were going well. Boyd landed flat on his ass, or his side, or his stomach after less than ten seconds. He was beginning to think he only got close to 10 seconds because Derek was starting to feel sorry for him. 

After half an hour, they called it quits, and Derek got out the bestiary and some of the Hale's library that had survived the fire. Scott hadn't been totally thrilled about sharing the entire bestiary with them, but Stiles had pointed out that it was their "bullshit inability to communicate like anything resembling normal sentient creatures" that had caused so much trouble with the Argents. Between that and Allison's efforts to make peace, they'd ended up with a full copy. 

It was this part Boyd really enjoyed. He could take or leave the fighting, although between the Alphas and Gerard, he understood why Derek insisted on training them as much as he did. 

But this? Centuries of werewolf and supernatural lore at his fingertips? 

This was what Boyd really loved. 

He and Derek read in companionable silence, breaking it only to point out something interesting or to make a note, or for Derek to share one of his family's stories that wasn't written down. 

The loft door slammed open and Erica sauntered in, tossing her purse and jacket onto the coat rack by the door. "You two nerds reading again?" 

"You should be studying this," Derek pointed out.

"Aw, but I hate studying." Erica perched on the arm of the couch beside Boyd and planted a kiss right on his head. "Besides, you'll tell me if you come across anything really important, won't you?" 

His heartbeat sped up, but Boyd wasn't sure if Erica knew what that meant yet. Hopefully Derek didn't. "No, I won't." 

"Please?" Erica hugged him. "Please, please, please--" 

Boyd gestured to the open books and notebooks spread across the coffee table. "Trying to read, here." 

"Ugh, fine." Erica pushed herself up off the couch and started toward the back of the loft. "I'm going to go take a shower and then I've got a shift at the boutique tonight." 

"You missed training," Derek called over his shoulder. "You'll be making it up this weekend."

"So did Isaac!" Erica whined. "And Cora!"

"They'll be making it up this weekend, too." 

Erica made a face at the back of Derek's head, and then she went on back to the bathroom, muttering something about unfairness under her breath. 

Boyd fought to keep from smiling. Hopefully Derek was too engrossed in his reading to notice. 

"She'll really be complaining about unfair when I get her up at six on Saturday," Derek muttered. 

Boyd smothered his laugh with a cough and turned to the next page in the book he was reading. 

After another moment of silence, where the only sound was the running water in the shower and Erica's singing, Derek said, "You know, she likes strawberries." 

Boyd raised his head very, very slowly from his book. Derek could _not_ be insinuating what it sounded like he was insinuating. 

Derek shot a sideways look at him and then went back to the bestiary. "Erica likes strawberries," he said again. 

The back of Boyd's neck felt hot. "I know she likes strawberries." 

"Just saying," Derek said. "If someone wanted to do something nice for her." 

Okay, now Boyd couldn't pay attention to his own books. "Something nice? What are you saying? Has she said something to you?" 

Derek smirked. "Alpha-beta privilege. I can't be asked to reveal anything any of my betas have come to discuss with me privately." 

Boyd scoffed. "That's not a thing." 

Derek raised his eyebrows at one of the books on the table. 

Boyd followed his gaze to the table and grabbed the book Derek was looking at. One of the Hale's old ones about werewolf customs. Holy shit. "Wait...is that a thing?" 

Derek went back to the bestiary. "I've also been a wolf longer than both of you. I can...smell things." 

"Smell things," Boyd repeated flatly. He decided not to think about what all that entailed right now, or else he'd die of embarrassment.

Derek nodded, his face slowly turning redder under his beard. "Just...I think she'd be amenable. To...things. If you asked her." 

"Since when do you play matchmaker?" 

"Since I started hanging out with teenagers." 

Boyd snorted, Derek smiled, and then the water in the shower shut off. 

"Just so you know," Boyd said, because he felt like he had to get back at Derek somehow, "Stiles is bi and he's going to be eighteen in two months." 

Derek didn't look up from the computer. "And just how do you know that?" he asked, voice measured. 

His heartbeat was telling another story. 

Boyd smirked at his book and leaned back on the couch. "Boy does not know how to keep his voice down when he's talking to McCall. Surprised half the school didn't hear him come out."

"Why are you telling me this?" Derek asked. 

"Why did you tell me about strawberries?" Boyd shot back. 

"Did somebody say strawberries?" Erica walked back into the main room, rubbing a towel over her wet hair. "I love strawberries!" 

"We know," Boyd and Derek said simultaneously. 

Erica raised her eyebrows. "You two have been doing that more often. It's getting kind of creepy." 

"Don't you have homework?" Derek asked. 

"Don't you have _work_ work?" Boyd said. 

Erica stuck her tongue out at them and headed into the kitchen. "I'm making a gigantic sandwich and I'm not making any for either of you." 

Boyd shook his head and pulled out another one of the Hale's books. He shouldn't eat here anyway; he'd need to head home in half an hour and his mom would be pissed if he'd spoiled his dinner.

He looked over at Derek, who mouthed "Strawberries." 

Boyd flipped him off. 

***

The thing was, Boyd admitted to himself later, Derek wasn't exactly wrong.

He'd felt a pull toward Erica when they'd become werewolves, but Derek had said that was the pack bond. Boyd believed him; he'd felt a similar tug toward Isaac and Derek. 

Similar, though. Not exactly the same. 

Then, of course, there was the whole "running away and getting kidnapped by Alphas" thing, being trapped for four months in an abandoned bank vault, unable to shift, unable to do anything but huddle together with Cora and pray they could find a time to escape. Then, to their collective surprise, they'd actually been _rescued_.

He'd expected Derek to be angry, to leave him and Erica to fend for themselves, but Derek had brought them both back into his pack without even waiting for them to apologize for running. 

But that wasn't the only surprising thing. He and Erica had been...closer. It wasn't like it had been before they'd been kidnapped; there was something more between them Boyd hadn't bothered to identify. They were friends and pack-mates. That was enough, wasn't it? Even if he wanted something more, going for it seemed...he wasn't sure. Like overkill, maybe? Like it would rip the pack apart if they broke up? 

Derek had a point about the smells, though. Even if Boyd and Erica weren't at the stage now that they could smell each other, they would be soon. And there was a good chance Isaac would get there before them, and Boyd had a feeling he wouldn't be nearly as circumspect as Derek had been.

So he took a deep breath, sucked it up, and baked strawberry cupcakes before the training on Saturday. If she said no, it would be fine. They were pack, they would figure it out. 

And if she said yes...

Well. 

Boyd smiled at the thought.

***

He showed up for training around noon on Saturday, and was surprised to see Derek leading Isaac, Cora, and Erica up the stairs to the loft. 

Boyd raised his eyebrows. "I thought training was at noon." 

Isaac collapsed on the stairs. "Six. In the fucking. _Morning_." 

"On a _Saturday_ ," Cora added, falling down beside him. 

"Nobody else made it to weekday training," Derek said with a smile. He wasn't even breathing hard. 

Erica staggered over to Boyd. "Hold me up. I can't feel my legs. We've been running for six hours." 

"Uh," Boyd said, but Erica was already slumping against him. He readjusted the plastic tub of cupcakes so he could hold her up. 

"I'm so gross and sweaty," she whined.

"You're not gross," Boyd said automatically.

Erica patted his arm. "You're sweet." 

Isaac made a gagging noise from the stairs. 

Derek nudged him with a foot. "Okay, everybody upstairs. Boyd, you've got a few minutes." 

Cora punched Derek in the shoulder. "It's so fucking obvious when you play favorites." 

Derek pushed her toward the stairs. "Boyd's the only one who showed up for every weekday training session. He gets a break."

He herded Cora and Isaac up the stairs, both of them cursing the whole way. Erica started to follow them, but Boyd caught her arm before she could move away. 

She raised her eyebrow at him. "You might be off the hook as far as Derek's concerned, but I'm not." 

"Just a couple of minutes," Boyd said, and handed her the plastic tub. 

Erica looked at him sideways, but she took the tub and opened it. Her jaw dropped. "Oh my God, you made strawberry cupcakes." 

His mouth felt dry. Why did his mouth suddenly feel dry? Boyd cleared his throat and fought not to duck his head. "Well, yeah. You like strawberries." 

Erica raised her eyes from the cupcakes, her mouth in a small o. "You made _me_ strawberry cupcakes?" 

Boyd could only nod. 

Erica flung herself at him, and it was only by virtue of all their training that Boyd caught her _and_ the cupcakes. 

Then she kissed him, and he forgot all about the cupcakes. 

"I've been waiting for you to make a move for two months," Erica said when she pulled back to take a breath. 

Boyd was still trying to get his brain back on track after Erica had so thoroughly derailed it. "You were waiting on me? You couldn't make a move?" 

Erica shrugged and snagged a cupcake from the tub. "I...wasn't sure. I'm still not used to guys wanting to say 'yes' to me." 

"Well, I'm not used to girls wanting to say 'yes' to _me_ ," Boyd pointed out. 

Erica grinned and kissed his cheek. "Want to take me out to dinner tonight so we can change that?" 

Boyd was probably smiling like an idiot. He really didn't care. "Yeah. Yes. That sounds...really great." 

"Good." Erica took a giant bite of the cupcake and moaned around it. "Oh my God, these are amazing. I'm definitely going to eat my dessert first." 

"Well, there's a lot more dessert where that came from," Boyd said.

Erica wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh, _really_?"

"Yeah." He kissed some icing off her cheek. "I made two batches of cupcakes." 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](https://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mad_madam_m).


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